Tuesday 6 August 2002

OXFAM criticises rich world's hypocrisy

Source: The Post, Zambia

The rich world's hypocrisy and double standards has led Zambia into depressed economy and pitiable standard of living, OXFAM acting programme representative Lizzie Peme has said.
Peme yesterday said Zambia and the rest of the world's poor countries were losing US $100 billion a year through unfair trade practices by the rich and developed world.
She said this action had condemned over 128 million poor people to a pitiable standard of living and chronic poverty. Peme said OXFAM in its hard-hitting report about global unfair trade practices entitled "Rigged rules and double standards", charges that though the rich countries have continued stressing their commitment to reducing poverty in the Third World in reality they did the opposite.
She said western countries placed barriers on poor countries that were four times higher than those encountered by rich countries. "The double standards are that the rich world continues to tell the poor nations not to subsidise or at least reduce subsidies, yet the rich countries continue to spend US $ 1 billion a day on subsidies for their rich farmers.